Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

Barristers Framework Agreement for West Midlands Local Authorities (WMLA)

Wolverhampton City Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

21 Aug 2026 at 15:58

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

09 Jan 2026 at 15:28

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

23 May 2025 at 12:53

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Wolverhampton City Council established the Barristers Framework Agreement for West Midlands Local Authorities, on behalf of ten participating authorities including Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Shropshire, Walsall and Wolverhampton. The framework appoints specialist barristers and chambers to provide legal advice, representation and advocacy for outsourced local-authority work. It covers nine service areas: adult social services; children’s services; governance and public law, including education; criminal litigation and prosecutions; housing and civil litigation; planning; property; employment; and licensing. Services are delivered for local authorities across the West Midlands, including Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands and Worcestershire. The arrangement is a new framework intended to improve value, service delivery and management of external barristers. It is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises as well as larger chambers.

The procurement is complete and was awarded on 3 August 2026 through an above-threshold open procedure under the light-touch regime. Each lot had an estimated value of £60m excluding VAT (£72m including VAT). Awards were made separately: adult social services £2.906m to 11 KBW, 3PB, 39 Essex, Cornerstone, Cornwall Street, Field Court, Kings Chambers, Landmark, No 5, St Philip’s; children’s services £21.716m to 3PB, Keyventure, 11 KBW, 33 Bedford Row, Cornwall Street, Harcourt, Linenhall, No 5, St Ives, St Philip’s, The 36 Group; governance and public law £1.832m to 3PB, 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square, 11 KBW, 39 Essex, Field Court, Landmark; criminal litigation £13.046m to No 5, No 8, St Ives, St Philip’s, The 36 Group; housing and civil litigation £6.056m to 3PB, 4-5, Cornerstone, Field Court, Five Paper, St Ives, St Philip’s, The 36 Group; planning £6.47m to 39 Essex, 3PB, Cornerstone, Francis Taylor, Landmark, No 5, European Administration; property £4.334m to Pump Court, 4-5, Field Court, No 5, The 36 Group; employment £2.906m to 11 KBW, 3PB, 39 Essex, Cornerstone, Cornwall Street, Field Court, Kings, Landmark, No 5, St Philip’s; and licensing £1.73m to Cornerstone, Francis Taylor, Kings and St Philip’s. Contracts run from 14 September 2026 to 13 September 2029, with an option to extend by 12 months. Framework call-offs may be awarded directly or through mini-competition.

This award demonstrates recurring West Midlands local-authority demand for specialist barristers across social care, children’s services, public and education law, crime, housing, planning, property, employment and licensing. The successful field includes chambers and legal service companies ranging from SMEs to large providers, showing that smaller specialist practices can compete alongside established national chambers. A credible future supplier would need demonstrable legal capacity, financial capacity and technical ability, backed by barristers with relevant specialist expertise and the ability to advise and represent multiple participating councils. Quality, including social value, carried 60% of the evaluation and price 40%, so technical service strength and wider public benefit mattered more than price alone. Suppliers should also be able to respond to direct framework instructions and mini-tenders, and manage outsourced matters efficiently across the West Midlands.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Barristers Framework Agreement for West Midlands Local Authorities (WMLA)

Notice Description

The WMLA (West Midlands Local Authorities) is seeking to appoint a panel of specialist legal advisers to a Barristers Framework, with the object of achieving better value, enhanced service delivery and more efficient management of matters outsourced to external barristers. This is a new procurement, as the WMLA does not currently have a Barristers Framework in place. The term of the Framework will be for an initial period of three (3) years with the option to extend for a further period of up to twelve (12) months

Lot Information

Adult Social Services

Renewal: Each Framework Agreement will be let for a term of three (3) years, with the estimated commencement date of 1st July 2026, with the option to extend for a further period/s of up to twelve (12) months.

Children's Services

Renewal: Each Framework Agreement will be let for a term of three (3) years, with the estimated commencement date of 1st July 2026, with the option to extend for a further period/s of up to twelve (12) months.

Governance & Public Law, including Education

Renewal: Each Framework Agreement will be let for a term of three (3) years, with the estimated commencement date of 1st July 2026, with the option to extend for a further period/s of up to twelve (12) months.

Criminal Litigation & Prosecutions

Renewal: Each Framework Agreement will be let for a term of three (3) years, with the estimated commencement date of 1st July 2026, with the option to extend for a further period/s of up to twelve (12) months.

Housing & Civil Litigation

Renewal: Each Framework Agreement will be let for a term of three (3) years, with the estimated commencement date of 1st July 2026, with the option to extend for a further period/s of up to twelve (12) months.

Planning

Renewal: Each Framework Agreement will be let for a term of three (3) years, with the estimated commencement date of 1st July 2026, with the option to extend for a further period/s of up to twelve (12) months.

Property

Renewal: Each Framework Agreement will be let for a term of three (3) years, with the estimated commencement date of 1st July 2026, with the option to extend for a further period/s of up to twelve (12) months.

Employment

Renewal: Each Framework Agreement will be let for a term of three (3) years, with the estimated commencement date of 1st July 2026, with the option to extend for a further period/s of up to twelve (12) months.

Licensing

Renewal: Each Framework Agreement will be let for a term of three (3) years, with the estimated commencement date of 1st July 2026, with the option to extend for a further period/s of up to twelve (12) months.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-052257
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080053-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large, SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79110000 - Legal advisory and representation services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£60,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£60,000,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
£60,000,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
9 Feb 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
1 Jul 2025Expired
Award Date
3 Aug 20261 months ago
Contract Period
14 Sep 2026 - 13 Sep 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
2029-07-01

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Wolverhampton City Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
WOLVERHAMPTON
Postcode
WV1 1SH
Postcode Area
Wolverhampton
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG3 West Midlands
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG39 Wolverhampton
Delivery Location
TLG West Midlands (England)
Local Authority
Wolverhampton
Electoral Ward
St Peters
Westminster Constituency
Wolverhampton West

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
22
Supplier Names

3PB MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED

Keyventure Ltd

11 KBW LIMITED

33 BEDFORD ROW LIMITED

CORNWALL STREET LIMITED

Harcourt Chambers

Linenhall Chambers

NO 5 CHAMBERS LIMITED

ST IVES BARRISTERS LIMITED

St Philips Chambers

The 36 Group Ltd

No 8 Chambers

4-5 Gray's Inn Square

Cornerstone Chambers Limited

Field Court Chambers

Five Paper

39 ESSEX CHAMBERS (SERVICES) LIMITED

Francis Taylor Building

Landmark Chambers

EUROPEAN ADMINISTRATION LIMITED

PUMP COURT CHAMBERS LIMITED

Kings Chambers

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

Loading OCDS record...